Family of senior Ministry of finance official rules out suicide

Dar es Salaam. The family of Mr Leopold Lwabaje, a senior official at the ministry of Finance and Planning, who was found hanging from a tree in Mkuranga District, say they don’t believe their beloved one committed suicide.

“Although the postmortem results aren’t out yet, we believe that he didn’t commit suicide,” said the family spokesperson, Mr Mugisha Brassio when speaking from deceased’s Kinyerezi residence.

Mr Brassio said some of the clothes that their relative was found wearing as he was hanging from a mango tree were different from those he put on the day he went missing.

“When he left office to report to Mburahati Police Station, the day he went missing, he was wearing a long-sleeve shirt and a black trouser, but his body was found clad in short sleeve T-shirt with the same trousers,”

On Monday, the Coast Region Police Commander, Onesmo Lyanga, said initial investigation indicates that Mr Lwabaje committed suicide. Mr Lwabaje will be buried at his home in Kagera on Saturday. Mr Brassio said relatives will decide the next course of action after the postmortem results are out in seven days.

Mr Lwabaje, deputy director of projects funded by the European Union, was found hanging from a mango tree, nine days after disappearing. It was the second time that Mr Lwabaje disappeared in mysterious circumstances.

In the first incident, the official disappeared after meeting unknown people in Sinza, while in the second incident he disappeared after reporting to Mburahati Police for interrogation about the previous incident on July 26.

Mr Brassio, said the deceased never shared many details over what transpired during the first incident, something, which he said, rises many questions. “He was only complaining of stomach pains” said he.

Efforts to reach Mr Lyanga in the progress of investigation, wasn’t successfully as he phoned went unanswered.

There was unusual air of silence and sorrowful mood at Mr Lwabaje home as family, relatives and neighbours’ gathered to mourn the deceased.

Before receiving the bad news, the relatives and neighbours of Mr Lwabaje camped at the deceased house for over a week after his disappearance, hoping to receive information about his whereabouts. Some mourners described the deceased as God fearing person, who loved his relatives and neighbours.

“We were really shocked to receive the news (about Mr Lwabaje’s death) because we were holding prayers for his safe return,” said Mr Benet Nkambalema, a neighbour